Sheamus Attacks Drew McIntyre, Lana's Revenge on Nia Jax, More WWE Raw Fallout

The Road to WrestleMania continued Monday with an episode of WWE Raw devoted to building the Elimination Chamber card.

We now know who will compete inside the steel confines of the pay-per-view's namesake structure in the men's match and that Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship. We also know Asuka will put her Raw Women's Championship on the line on February 21.

Who will they face, what is the reaction to both and what else went down on the February 8 episode of the company's flagship show?

Find out now with this recap of the USA Network presentation.

Kofi Kingston Conspicuous by Absence in Men's Elimination Chamber Match

WWE official Adam Pearce introduced Shane McMahon to needlessly skip his way to the ring and announce that Drew McIntyre will defend the WWE title at Elimination Chamber in the event's namesake men's match.

And his opponents will all be former WWE champions: AJ Styles, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy and The Miz.

Conspicuous by his absence from that list is Kofi Kingston, even as the potential for a brilliant bit of storytelling stares the creative team in the face.

Two years ago, The New Day member capitalized on an opportunity to compete in the Chamber via an injury to Mustafa Ali and jump-started a KofiMania movement that led to him winning the top prize at WrestleMania 35.

That led to the bitterness we see in Ali today and the emphasis for Retribution's current feud with Kingston and Xavier Woods. Imagine how much more intense that would have been if Ali attacked the former titleholder, forcing him out of the Chamber and inserting himself into the men's match.

It would have been apropos and given Kingston and Ali further reason to have one last, big blow-off contest.

Instead, we have The Miz inexplicably putting his body through the pain and punishment of the Chamber when he already possesses the Money in the Bank briefcase and could have easily just cashed in on the winner.

Logic has never been WWE's strongest suit when "telling stories," though, so in some strange and warped way, it makes total sense it went down this route.

Sheamus Attacks Drew McIntyre, Ruins Main Event

If you knew the 2,432th televised match between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton would end in a disqualification, you either work for WWE Creative or have been paying even a modicum of attention to the company's television product over the last decade or so.

Sheamus interrupted the battle between the familiar foes, accidentally blasting The Viper with a Brogue Kick before eating a Claymore from the Scot as the show went off the air.

Sure, the angle continued the hostility between two former friends and added a bit of heat to the Elimination Chamber PPV—especially with Orton getting caught in the crossfire—but it was such a predictable conclusion that one has to wonder if the writers could not have come up with a better and more dynamic way to bring those elements together.

It will have to, and quickly, especially if McIntyre vs. Sheamus is to become a WrestleMania 37 match.

The company will not be able to maintain that storyline with booking this bland and still have fans looking forward to the showdown between them.

Lana Avenges Months of Torment, Beats Nia Jax in Tables Match

Lana already gained a measure of revenge on Nia Jax for months of torment when she eliminated The Irresistible Force from the women's Royal Rumble match. Monday, she continued her redemption story with a win over the women's tag team champion in a tables match.

Jax missed a leg drop on the ring apron and sold it as if she had been shot in the backside, exclaiming "My hole!" in a moment that social media was swift to jump on. Meme infamy, thy name is Jax.

Lana used the incident to her advantage and mustered enough energy to shove her opponent through a table propped up at ringside.

Ridiculous exclamations and Twitter trending aside, was the execution pretty? Not at all. Did Lana even need the win after her Rumble triumph? Not really, but it was a nice way to pay that chapter of their rivalry off and build momentum for The Ravishing Russian as she and Naomi make a run at the tag team titles.

Whether the Women's Tag Team Championships will ever truly get over with the audience when the division consists of makeshift tandems randomly thrown together is a question for another time.

Bad Bunny Continues Appearances

Don't look now but Bad Bunny is already more of a full-time performer for WWE than Brock Lesnar or Goldberg has been since 2003.

That may be a bit of hyperbole, but few expected the pop star to become the fixture of WWE television that he has become already. Yet there he was Monday, supporting Damian Priest from ringside and providing a distraction late in The Archer of Infamy's victory over Angel Garza.

His contribution Monday continued his feud with The Miz and John Morrison and gave credence to reports of an in-ring debut.

His efforts to add to the show, bringing his star power with him and helping Priest gain credibility and acceptance on the main roster, will benefit WWE in the long term while allowing him to live a childhood dream.

It's a win-win situation and one of WWE's better mainstream media gets in quite some time.

Lacey Evans 'Earns' Title Shot Against Forgotten Champion at Elimination Chamber

Lacey Evans defeated Charlotte Flair by disqualification when The Queen repeatedly bashed her with forearms in the corner despite the referee's objection.

Backing into a win in that matter is, apparently, enough to warrant a Raw Women's Championship opportunity these days because The Sassy Southern Belle will challenge Asuka at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 21.

The same Asuka who has just wandered aimlessly in recent weeks, intimidated by Alexa Bliss and relegated to a backstage confrontation with Bianca Belair. Oh, and losing the Women's Tag Team Championships in the process.

The match is underwhelming for a few reasons, not least of which is the company's utter misuse of The Empress of Tomorrow in recent months. She has gone from the glue that held together the women's division in the absence of Becky Lynch to an afterthought.

Couple that questionable creative with Evans not really earning the title match in any measurable way, and you have reason to not care about the upcoming contest.

There will be some who argue Evans backing into a title shot is exactly how heels should go about business, and they would be correct. Hopefully, she can channel the booking into a sustained run rather than being Flair's rival of the month because from a character standpoint, she is one of the better baddies in the division.